Cost:
Adult: Free
Child: Free
Senior: Free
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Overview
For a scenic side trip not far from Salt Lake City, head 20 minutes west by car to the Great Salt Lake. The lake is aptly named for its high salt content – ranging from 9 percent to 28 percent, whereas the world’s oceans’ salinity is only 3 percent. It is the world’s second saltiest body of water.
Strangely enough, this is not all the lake is known for. There are an assortment of tall tales and legends surrounding the lake, some laughable, some remotely plausible. Early settlers claimed to have seen a treacherous whirlpool in its center that sucked boaters under. Then there is the story of the terrible monster swimming in its depths and occasionally emerging to show its enormous head and let out a ferocious bellow. There is also talk of a school of whales spotted in the lake, and a subterranean outlet to the Pacific Ocean.
Whatever you believe, the lake will inspire you. Today the lake is 92 miles long and 48 miles wide, with a depth ranging from 20 to 42 feet. Around 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, it was part of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which covered around 20,000 square miles and what are now several states.
Watch for birds, spectacular sunsets or the sailboats that quietly glide by – or anything else that might care to surface. Either way, Great Salt Lake is well worth a visit.
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